1% For The Arts

Arts Education Declining in US Schools

In April of 2012, the US Department of Education released its findings of the first nationwide arts survey in over a decade. Their report documented the state of arts education in public schools in the United States.

Unfortunately, the report detailed how the percentage of schools offering arts education has declined significantly since their last report which was done in 2002. While schools offering music and visual arts were found to not have had significant national declines (not to say anything about state or city specific findings), schools offering theater and dance related instruction were down from 20% in 2002 to 4% in 2012. Significant declines were documented on schools offering creative arts and crafts education and instruction as well.

Another major concern that the report details is an “equity gap” between the availability of art instruction and education as well as the richness of course offerings for students in low poverty schools compared to high poverty schools, which causes students in high poverty schools to not get the same enrichment of experiences compared to affluent students. Translation – students at schools in high poverty areas, like many areas in the Los Angeles Unified School District, have little to no access to art education and instruction.

Despite what the US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan stated at the time that “A well-rounded education is simply too vital to our students’ success to let the teaching of the arts and humanities erode… High-quality arts education is absolutely critical to providing all students with a world-class education,” art education is significantly declining year after year in our schools.

TopMolds 1% For The Arts Program

We believe that students (especially underprivileged students) should have access to art instruction and education in public schools because it makes a positive impact on the developmental growth of a child. That is why we donate 1% of the profit from every sale to charities that support the arts and art education in schools. That is our commitment to helping children, and specifically underprivileged children, gain access and exposure to the arts and have a creative outlet.

The charity that TopMolds currently donates to is the local Los Angeles based P.S. Arts which supports and provides arts education to children in Southern and Central California. Their mission is “To improve the lives of children by providing arts education to underserved public schools and communities.”